Method of manufacturing insulators



Oct. 28, 1930. w. F. HARVEY MANUFACTURI METHOD AOF NG INSULATORSDriginal Filed Jap.A I5, 1.928

2*' Shevets-Sheet 1 A INVENToR PVI is ATTORNEY` estema oct. 2s, -1930,UNITED sTATEs wasn i 'WILLIAM r." Enviar, oF

Lum, amwyonx; maar a. HARVEY ExEcUrnrx WILLIAM r. HARVEY, nncnasnn manor armrae'ruame msum'roas Application led anuary 3, 1928, Serial No.244,200. Renewed March 25, 1930i My invention relates to the method ofmanufacturing insulators, and has to do more particularly with porcelaininsulators of the type having a multiplicity of skirts or laterally 5projecting anges extending away from the longitudinal or body portion,the principal object of the invention being to manufacture such aninsulator as an integral structure from a single mass of clay or suchmaterial as may be used.

Heretofore, the practice in manufacturing porcelain insulators of thegeneral type mentioned has been to make `two or more units separately,and produce the finished insulator by nesting and cementing togethersuch sepmass of moist clay and is there after baked as an entirety, thusgiving a uniform texture and character to every part of the insulator, 3a 'result which is not possible where the insulator is made by cementingtogether independent porcelain sections which have been previously bakedand which may be made from differentmasses of clay.

An additional object of the invention is to afford a one-piece porcelaininsulator which is cheaper to manufacture than types of insulators nowin use, and which has greater eficiency both mechanically andelectrically than old forms of insulators;

v Another purpose of the invention is to afford mechanism and a methodof procedure for constructing such an insulator in a, quick, practical,and economical manner.

To these and other ends, the invention comprehends the structure andmethod that will appear clearly from the following description when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features beingiication.

In the drawings: l

pointed out in theclaims following the speci- Figure 1 is a sectionalview illustratin an Figure 6 is a view showing the second v plungingoperation with the structure according to Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the parts shownv in Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of an insulator constructed according tothe invention;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the lower mold sections shownin Figures 2 to 4, and

Figure 10 isa similar view of one of the upper mold sections shown inFigures 2 and 3.

The invention may be carried out in a variety of `Ways, and withdifferent materials,

but is more especiall adapted to form insulators from clay by t ecommonly known Wet process method, the herein disclosed structure andprocedure indicating, by Way of example, certain preferred waysof'accomplishing this.

In manufacturing a porcelain insulator by the wet process, a mass of wetclay is forced v into a mold ofplaster Paris or the like, through theinstrumentalit of a rotating metal plunger or die to w ich heat isapplied in any suitable manner, the simultaneous rotation and pressureof the plunger serving to impart its'form to the mass of clay, which isthereafter hardened by firing.

In applying this to the present invention, a bottom mold 1 is employedwhich is suitably formed to shape the end or head of the insulator. Amass of wet clay is placed within the mold 1 and a plunger is thenforced against the clay, said plunger comprising a hollow and preferablycylindrical portion2 and a lateral or flange portion 3.

part of the clay body to form the skirt portion 4 of the insulator,while the main body of the wet clayis forced upwardly into the hollowportion 2 of the plunger, leaving a central mass of clay 5 when theplunger has reached its lowermost position,'as shown in Figure 1. Itwill be seen that this much of the operation serves to complete thefirst skirt portion 4 of the insulator, .and leaves a remaining body ofwet clay ready to be pressed to form a second skirt portion, whichoperation takes place immediatelv after the first operation justdescribed.

While forming a second skirt portion from the body of cla 5, itisnecessary to arrange ,a mold over t e skirt portion 4 after theplunger has been removed. This is preferably accomplished by a sectionalmold 6 shaped to conform to the grooved skirt portion 4, and a sectionalmold 7 preferably with inclined bottom surfacesl engagingcorrespondingly inclined top surfaces on the mold 6. The mold sections 7can be held in o erative position by suitable means such as a and 8, asshown in Figure 2, and when the mold sections are thus arran ed, theparts are ready to receive a secon plunger 9, see Figure 3, whichdescends againstthe central mass of clay 5 and forces it out againsttheA mold sections 7, causing the body of clay 5 to assume the shapeillustrated in Figures 3 and 4. e

The plunger 9 is then Iwithdrawn and the band 8 removedpermittin themold sections 7 to be withdrawn latera ly from the position shown inFigure 3, after which the mold sections 6 can be lifted as shown inFigure 4, and then withdrawn laterally from the insulator. B theoperation just described, the second s irt ortion 10 is formed, exstending laterally rom the central body portion 11 of the insulator andspaced along the same from the first formed skirt portion 4. In thisfashion it is possible to construct an insulatorwith two or more lateralflanges or skirt portions all from one mass of clay, givinga completedinsulator structure of similar texture throughout and uniform mechanicaland electrical characteristics. It Will be understood, of course, thatthe described operation can be repeated with additional sectional moldsto form three or more skirts or flange portions in larger insulatorswhere this may be desirable.

In Figures 5 and 6, a modified form ofv. mold is illustrated as shown at12. In thisv case, the first plunger or die has a flat bottom surface,forming the clay mass into the of the form shown in Figure 1. The mold isections 12 would then be provided with corresponding flat bottomsurfaces and after the second plunger operation, thev insulator wouldhave the form illustrated in Figure 6.

With' this arrangement, after the plunger is Y withdrawn from the`insulator, thebottom mold 1 is dropped away and the mold sections 12can then be'readily removed by a lateral motion-after the retaining band13, is separated from the mold sections. When the insulator is thusformed, the grooves 14' are cut into the skirt portion 15, see'Figure 8,to form the petticoat 16 by grooving the clay while wet.

While I haveldescribed alternative ways of forming the grooves in theskirt, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 and in Figures 5 and 6, otherconvenient methods and devices can bel adopted without changing thegeneral. scheme of successively f ormin two or-more skirts or laterallyextending anges from a single mass of wet clay. In Figure 8, theinterior of the insulator is shown threaded as at 17, as usual in this.type of insulator, the threading operation being preferably performedafter the general shape of the insulator is completed, as illustrated inFigures 4-and 6. 4 While the invention has been described with referenceto' certain particular adaptations and methods, it is not confined totheprecise disclosures herein set forth, and this application isintended vto cover any other embodiments or methods which willaccomplish the described purposes and come withinthe scope of thefollowing claims.

I claim: y

1. The method of making a one-piece insulator consisting in forming amultiplicity of skirts or lateral anges by successive pressureoperations on a wet mass of material, such pressure being appliedendwise of the insulator and crosswise of the skirts.

2. The method of making a one-piece insulator consisting in firstpressing a wet mass of material in a mold forming an initial skirt orlateral flange, then positioning a mold over said skirt, and finallypressing the remainder of the wet mass against the last mentioned moldto form a second skirt.

3. The method of making a one-piece insulator consisting in firstpressing a wet mass of material in a mold forming an initial skirt orlateral flange and an outwardly extending central portion, andthereafter pressing said central portion to form a second skirt abovethepfirst mentioned skirt,

4. The method of making a one-piece inI sulator consisting in firstsubjecting a wet mass of material in a mold to the action of a plungerhaving a hollow portion with a lateral flange portion at its forwardend, said plunger acting to form in said wet mashape illustrated at 13in Figure 5, instead terial a skirt portion and to force the central lunpart of the wet mass rearwardly into saidhollow portion of the plunger,and there-"- after subjecting said central part of the wet mass to theaction of a second plunger to 5 form a second skirt on the insulator. 5.The method of makn'g a one-piece in- .sulator consisting in firstsubjecting a wet mass of material in a mold to the action of a plungerhaving a hollow portion with a l, lateral flange portion at its forwardendfsaid plunger acting to form insaid wet material a skirt portion andto force the central part of the wet mass rearwardly* into said hollowportion of the plunger, positioning a mold u over said skirt portion,and thereafter subjecting said central part of the wet mass to theaction of a second plunger to force the clay against the last named moldand form a second skirt on the insulator.

6. The method of making a one-piece wet process insulator consisting infirst forming one portion ,of the insulator by pressing i-t into a mold,retaining the mass in said mold and protecting the opposite side of saidg5 formed portion by a sectional mold while subsequently forming anotherpart of the in. sulator inte al with the first mentioned part by appying pressure toward said sectional mold and the first named portion.

$0 In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. r

WILLIAM F. HARVEY.

